Reader Piece – The Need For Regulation in Scottish MMA

Here at FTS, we are always looking for original content and to give a voice and a platform to Scottish MMA fans with something to get off their chest.

We have had our first submission – a piece on the need for Regulation in Scottish MMA. Enjoy, and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section. If you would like to submit your own piece – do so by e-mailing [email protected]

Scottish MMA needs to start regulating itself – otherwise there is the risk others could decide how the sport should be governed.

By others, I mean politicians. Surely nobody involved in Scottish MMA wants to see a situation where our country follows France and the government bans MMA events using the standard unified rules from taking place?

Don’t for a minute imagine that couldn’t happen. It’s not an impossibility for that situation to arise. All it takes is one politician taking umbrage at the sport and one motion being raised in parliament to set the wheels in motion.

What could cause that? One bad news story, such as a fighter suffering a life-changing injury or worse in a MMA bout. Alternatively, the spark could be one pressure group against MMA drumming up enough mainstream interest to cause problems. Or a politician could simply see bashing MMA as a way to try to further their career.

At a lesser political level certain councils could decide they don’t want MMA to take place in the areas they control and make life very difficult for promoters to run shows.

Should such situations arise, what has Scottish MMA done to protect itself? Or to use business-speak, how is Scottish MMA future-proofing itself? I see very little proactive action.

What I have seen are many concerning issues when at shows, for instance as basic a problem as combatants not being given disclaimers to sign.

Now, whether a basic disclaimer would stand up to scrutiny in court remains to be seen. But promoters should at least be working to try to protect themselves.

Also, someone running a show could go the extra mile and get a good lawyer to advise what should be in a disclaimer. And then pass that knowledge on to other promoters.

And what about those who run shows? Currently anyone who has financial and logistical means can be a promoter. I would rather see a system where people wanting to run MMA shows in Scotland have to earn a licence to do so. Or at the very least, a discussion around the best way to regulate this issue.

At shows, there are no rules saying combatants must have pre-fight and post-fight medicals. Obviously it is good practice to do so and generally promoters insist on this happening. But certainly not every show has an athlete checked by medical professionals after their bout.

That is a dangerous situation. If a fighter has a concussion, there is nothing stopping them competing on a show that could be taking place as close as the following day. If the fighter then suffered a secondary concussion, that is a brain injury that could cause them problems for many months. There should be steps taken to make sure that can’t happen.

There is also the risk of disease being passed via blood between combatants in MMA. Some Scottish MMA professionals will have their blood checked via Safe MMA protocols for when they take part on shows. But certainly not every professional in Scotland will have had their blood checked, particularly those who are just fighting in their home country.

Sticking to the topic of injuries, the biggest cause of fighters getting hurt in MMA is mismatches. Just now there is a moral responsibility for promoters to ensure fights are ‘fair’ – but what checks and balances are in place to make sure this happens?

A fighter’s coach should ensure they are well matched – yet there is a reliance on that coach being knowledgeable about the MMA scene in Scotland. If they are not knowledgeable and not smart in the management of their athlete then there is no other safety net.

The point of this is that it is time for these issues to be addressed by the Scottish MMA community and for those involved in the sport to make sure it progresses as professionally as possible. I am not trying to bash the sport. Rather, my focus is on how it can be developed.

As the skill levels of those taking part in MMA in Scotland continue to improve, sadly the same can’t be said for the way the sport is managed.

I believe first and foremost there should be a Scottish MMA steering group that is focused on the development of the sport.

The committee would hopefully address the issues I have raised and any others that exist.

It should be a collection of experienced individuals, involved in a variety of different roles in the sport, from a variety of different locations.

It would not be that difficult to set-up or organise, especially in this age where there are a wide variety of communication tools.

I will leave my thoughts on how the steering group should operate and what else they should oversee until a future column, but until then I would love to hear your opinions on whether Scottish MMA should start regulating itself and if so, how this should be done.

Second column to address – problems of who judges, referees, application of standard UAR rules, equipment, warm-up areas etc.

Third column to address – how a Scottish MMA steering group should run taking into account any suggestions put forward.